Reduced sucrose sugar coatings for cereals and methods of preparation
Disclosed are improved sugar coatings for topically pre-sweetened food products that are sugar reduced whether in the form of a syrup or in the form of a dried coating. The syrup form is useful as an intermediate product in the preparation of pre-sweetened food products. In dry form, the present formulations can be a component part of a composite food product especially in the form of a topical coating or filling. The present invention is particularly suited for the preparation of R-T-E pre-sweetened cereals. The coating formulations comprise less than 70% sucrose, corn syrup and 1-20% non-hydrated integrated starch and preferably about 5-10% insoluble mineral salts each of particle size of about 50 microns.
1. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar
slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less;
0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber; and,
8-25% moisture.
2. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 additionally comprising about 5 % to about 25 % of an edible insoluble mineral.
3. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the edible-insoluble mineral is calcium carbonate.
4. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the starch ingredient is provided by a whole grain flour ingredient.
5. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the non-hydrated starch is supplied by an insoluble cereal grain bran.
6. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 1 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.
7. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less, wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided from a low protein flour; and
8-25% moisture.
8. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 7 additionally comprising 0.1% to about 15% of a finely milled insoluble fiber.
9. A pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar
slurry coating syrup, comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less; and,
8-25% moisture, wherein the pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup has a sucrose crystallinity value of 25% v/v or less and wherein at least a portion of the non-sucrose soluble solids is provided by an ingredient selected from the group consisting of corn syrup, glucose syrup, inulin, soluble corn fiber and mixtures thereof.
10. The pre-sweetener sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 9 , having a fat content of up to 15%.
11. A method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup, comprising the steps:
A. Preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis),
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids,
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns of less, and,
8-25% moisture; and
B. Heating the sugar make-up slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry coating syrup.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran.
13. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:
C. evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry coating syrup by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8 - 12 % and wherein the non- hydrated starch remains-ungelatinized; and
D. cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry coating syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide slurry coating syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity.
14. The method of method for preparing a pre-sweetener, reduced hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup of claim 11 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.
15. A method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener, reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup comprising the steps of:
(a) providing pieces of dried base;
(b) preparing a sugar make-up slurry comprising:
40-70% sucrose (dry weight basis);
10-35% non-sucrose soluble solids;
1-20% non-hydrated insoluble starch having a particle size of 50 microns or less; and
8-25% moisture, wherein preparing the sugar make-up slurry further comprises: heating the make-up sugar slurry with agitation to below the gelatinization temperature of the starch at 170-250° F. (75-121° C.) to dissolve the sucrose and non-sucrose soluble solids to form a hot sugar slurry liquid;
(c) coating the dried base pieces with the sugar make-up slurry as a pre-sweetener coating, wherein the weight ratio of dried base pieces to coating ranges from 10:1 to 0.5:1 to form coated pieces; and
(d) reducing the moisture content of the coated pieces to a range of less than 5% to provide finished pre-sweetened coated food pieces.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the dried base includes a R-T-E cereal.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the coating additionally comprises about 5-10% of a calcium material.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein of the pre-sweetener coating is hypocrystalline and having a sucrose crystallinity of less than 25%.
19. The method of claim 15 additionally comprising the steps of:
evaporatively concentrating the hot sugar slurry liquid by maintaining the temperature at below the gelatinization temperature of the starch to form a cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup having a moisture content ranging from about 8-12% and wherein the non-hydrated starch remains ungelatinized; and
cooling the cooked hot sugar concentrated slurry syrup to a temperature of 162° F. (72° C.) or cooler to form a cooled concentrated sugar or saccharide syrup having about 40-85% of sugar components and having 25% or less crystallinity.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the starch is provided by a cereal grain bran.
21. The method for preparing food pieces coated with a pre-sweetener of claim 15 , wherein the non-hydrated insoluble starch is in the form of discrete particles that remain as discrete particles in the pre-sweetener reduced sucrose hypocrystalline sugar slurry coating syrup.